Israel’s new government will have to review the validity of many ideas within the Israeli consensus that have guided foreign policy over the past two decades. Key questions concern the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; relations between Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East, particularly in the area of energy and in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; relations with the United States, including the implications of the competition between China and the US; relations with the European Union; and relations with...
The global, regional, and internal implications of the coronavirus are still not fully clear, but Israel’s 35th government will have no 100-day grace period. It must quickly restore the economy to full activity, despite the presence of the virus and the possibility of a renewed outbreak. On the security level, all the regimes in the Middle East are busy with the pandemic and internal affairs, and will most likely seek to avoid escalation in conflicts with Israel. At the same time, the risk of unplanned escalation (in Syria,...
Iran is not expected to cede its consolidation in Syria, despite its economic difficulties and the danger of extensive popular protest related to the coronavirus pandemic. But it is possible that Iran will be forced to reduce its entrenchment activity in Syria, at least temporarily, mainly for economic reasons. Against this backdrop, the question arises: could Iran try to take advantage of Israel’s preoccupation with the coronavirus crisis to ignite a large scale conflict, especially through a strong response to Israeli air...
The coronavirus crisis has prompted Israel to take intelligence capabilities that were developed to combat hostile countries and terrorist organizations and – in unprecedented fashion – use them to collect and study data on the pandemic. Indeed, it has been shown that the intelligence community can potentially help in non-security areas. On the other hand, the penetration of the intelligence community into civilian space in Israel, particularly to track citizens, raises ethical dilemmas and legal issues. Overall, it appears...
Tension between Hezbollah and Israel has risen in recent weeks, at the same time that the coronavirus swept through the region. While both sides are busy combating the pandemic, they are also preparing for the expected continuation of the conflict once the crisis is over, while maintaining the existing balance of deterrence between them. At this stage, their actions show that they are adhering to their policies: Hezbollah is smuggling advanced weaponry and consolidating its presence in the Golan Heights, while Israel is countering...
East Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods are liable to become morbidity hotspots for the coronavirus pandemic, notably during the month of Ramadan, posing a contagion risk to the city as a whole. In light of this danger, and given the underlying neglect in the city’s eastern neighborhoods, Israeli authorities have addressed the pandemic there, albeit incurring friction with Palestinian Authority (PA) representatives – mainly in Kafr ‘Aqab, which is outside the security barrier. Lags in tackling the coronavirus pandemic in the...
In recent years, the Jewish world has been beset by two longstanding diseases – growing antisemitism and the delegitimization campaign against Israel. The struggle against antisemitism has lately commanded increased attention and resources among Jewish communities, various governments around the world, and even the Israeli establishment. In tandem, the coronavirus crisis has changed the global agenda and created difficulties for Jewish communities in the Diaspora that have yet to be fully understood. The struggle against threats to...
Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky | Shahar Eilam | Tal-Or Cohen
This article focuses on the idea, if not the intention, to maximize what is perceived as a window of opportunity to advance the application of Israeli sovereignty to the territories in the West Bank. For an interest group that aspires to this goal, and especially for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there is a sense that under the current circumstances, Israel has an unprecedented opportunity that it will not have again in the near future to apply Israeli sovereignty to settlement areas. This window of opportunity has emerged in...
On Thursday, April 23, 2020, INSS conducted a second simulation of a “Corona Cabinet.” The discussion dealt with the exit strategy from the crisis and the steps that should be taken to return Israel’s economy and society to their routine. The principal insights that emerged from the simulation include the need to integrate management of the healthcare, economic, and social risks; an understanding of how the “Corona Cabinet” should operate and the need to establish a professional “corona staff”; the importance of differentiation as an...
The coronavirus crisis has elicited responses from Salafi-jihadists around the world, including Islamic State and al-Qaeda spokesmen and Islamic clerics. The range of responses has included strict guidelines for believers on how to protect themselves from the pandemic, part of the commandment to save lives, and exhortations to return to Islam and encourage believers to continue the struggle despite the blows they suffered with the disappearance of the Islamic State. The serious crisis in the West has also led to responses of gloating...
Out of fears of a COVID-19 outbreak in Gaza as well as a desire to strengthen public trust in the organization and demonstrate its control over the situation, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has proposed an initiative to release prisoners. The initiative led to indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, which may foster a wider arrangement. Israel should not make concessions solely for information on its citizens and the bodies of its soldiers being held in Gaza, but strive to bring them back while also working to...
Israel began easing its lockdown and moving into the next phase of living in the presence of the coronavirus, which will continue in different ways and intensities until a vaccine is found or until the virus disappears. While major emphasis is currently placed on the medical and economic tracks, the social dimension is also a key element that must be addressed. Although it is difficult to gauge, the social curve is no less and perhaps even more critical in managing the crisis over the long term. This article presents the importance...
